No one is exactly sure how baseball began, but it seems to have its roots in the English game called "rounders" or "four-old-cat." Rounders had many of the same features as baseball has today. Baseball became an organized sport in the 1840s and 1850s. People even played it during the Civil War. Many early baseball teams were formed in New York City and Brooklyn. By 1860, baseball had replaced the British game of cricket as America's most popular game. At this time, baseball was an amateur sport, which meant that players were not paid to play. The Brooklyn Atlantics was the leading team in early baseball, winning championships in 1861, 1864, and 1865. They sent this card to teams they were about to play to let their opponents know they were going up against the champions. The first all-professional baseball team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings. It was considered a bold move to decide to openly pay players to play baseball, and it can be credited to Club President Aaron B. Champion, who came up with the idea. In 1869, the Reds' player-manager Harry Wright, known as the "Father of Professional Baseball," and his team toured the country and won 60 games without a single loss. Although the National Association didn't want to support the professional baseball movement, they were overruled( 否决 ). Major League baseball in America had begun. 26. The author said that baseball has its roots in the English game "rounders" because. A) they have many of the same features B) both of them are played by English speakers C) some evidences are recorded in the book D) players believed both games have the same origin 27. What was the most popular game in America before 1860? A) Baseball. B) Cricket. C) Golf. D) Basketball. 28. The word "amateur" in Para. 2 probably means . A) doing something for enjoyment, not as a job B) doing something for a job, not because of enjoyment C) doing something skillfully D) doing something unskillfully 29. It was Aaron B. Champion who put forward the idea that . A) amateur players should not be replaced by professional ones B) amateur players should be replaced by professional ones C) baseball players should not be paid to play D) baseball players should be paid to play 30. What was the National Association's attitude toward professional baseball movement? A) Optimistic. B) Pessimistic. C) Negative. D) Positive.